Mesa Mayor Scott Smith has never been shy about communicating with state and federal government officials about issues facing municipalities and possible solutions to problems that arise from those issues. Smith has taken that to a new level since becoming president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors over the summer. Mayor Smith talked about that position and his political future.
Mayor Smith may be running for governor but said he will not have an official decision for a few months. Former Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman was running for governor, but now he wants to be the state’s next treasurer. On the democratic side, House Minority Leader Chad Campbell has decided not to be a candidate for governor and said he will not run for any office next year.
Arizona Republic columnist Bob Robb analyzed what we know so far and speculated a bit about the future.